I'll Be Right Back
by purselover2
Summary: She told him she'd be right back. She hated that she wasn't going to be able to keep her promise.


"Don't go." Matt tried to pull Karen back down onto the couch next to him.

Holding onto his hand, Karen leaned down and kissed him. He was so cute when he tried to distract her from something. "I'll be right back." "Promise?" he asked. "Promise."

Pulling away from him she made her way to the bench by the door and grabbed her purse. "Are you sure you don't want anything?" "Just you" he replied. She laughed as she made her way out the door.

Once the door closed, Matt leaned back into the couch and thought about how great the evening was going. Except he had forgotten to get the ice cream she had asked for which was why he was now on the couch alone. Apparently one didn't watch a chick flick without it. It had been Karen's turn to pick the movie and she of course had picked a chick flick. He didn't care though. He'd watch paint dry to get to sit next to her and hold her.

Karen hurried down the steps and out onto the sidewalk. The corner market was a block away and if she hurried and they weren't busy she could be in and out no time. Hurrying down the street, she looked both ways and then hurried across the street and into the market. Saying hi to Lin the night clerk she hurried back to the freezer case and grabbed a tub of cookie dough. Just as she turned to head to the counter, she heard a commotion coming from the front.

"Open the register and give me the money, NOW!" A man screamed at Lin.

Moving slightly to the side where she could see the counter and still be hidden from view, Karen saw the man pointing a gun at Lin who was trembling and trying to open the register. Karen knew that Lin was expecting a baby and had had a difficult pregnancy. Even without a gun pointed at her the stress alone could cause her to go into early labor or worse. Karen needed to do something and do it fast.

She started making her way to the front of the store slowly. She knew she was risking herself but she needed to draw the gunman's attention away from Lin.

"Excuse me." She said softly making her presence known. He whirled around and fired. As she was falling to the floor, her last thought was that she had broken her promise to Matt. She wouldn't be right back.

Matt was putting the dinner dishes in the sink when he heard a gunshot. Tuning out the rest of the noise he honed in on a heartbeat as it was fading. A glass shattered as it hit the bottom of the sink. He knew he didn't have time to change so grabbing his cane and running out the door he made his way to the roof. Maneuvering himself until he was on the building that housed the market he quietly made his way down the stairs to the back of the room where he could hear a man shouting. "This is all your fault! If you had just given me the money when I asked for it, I would have already been gone!"

Matt knew he had very little time before he hurt Lin. Moving to where he could see the man Matt allowed himself one glance at Karen laying lifeless on the floor. As the man started to yell again he lowered his gun and that was all Matt needed. Picking up two cans from the shelf, he threw both. One hit the man's hand and knocked the gun to the floor. The other hit him in the side of the head knocking him out and to the ground. Matt quickly made his way out the back and around to the front. He made it to the front door just as a police officer was making his way inside with the paramedics. Someone had called 911 when they heard the gunshot. Matt pulled out his phone and called Foggy. "I need you. Karen's been shot."

Foggy made his way down his steps and hailed a cab. Telling the cabbie, a friend had been shot the cabbie floored the accelerator. When Matt had called Foggy noticed how calm his voice was. No panic or hysteria or any emotion really. Foggy knew that meant Matt had gone his dark place. Foggy just hoped he reached him before he blew.

Matt stood there as they prepped Karen and got her on the stretcher. A police officer approached him announcing himself before he got too close. Someone must have told him that Matt was blind. "Excuse me sir? You know the lady?" "She's my girlfriend." "They are going to load her in the ambulance now. Do you have someone you can call to go with you or do you want to ride with me?" Matt could hear the concern in his voice but couldn't find it inside himself to care. "I have a friend coming. He should be here any minute." At that moment a cab pulled up and screeched to a halt. Foggy got out and ran up to Matt where he placed a hand on his arm. "What happened?" "Not here. We need to get to the hospital." Matt started moving towards the cab. The driver had waiting knowing they would need a ride. Foggy followed him into the cab and again the cabbie floored it.


End file.
